The early church was often plagued by disagreements and disputes. These arose from differing points of view that led to allegiances such as ‘I belong to Paul’ or ‘I belong to Apollos’. {i} St. Paul refuted these claims as ludicrous. The foundation of every man’s ministry, he says, is Jesus Christ, {ii} for nothing can be added to the teachings and person of Jesus Christ.’ And he insists that it is foolishness to go beyond what is written. {iii}

There was a compass, a map, as it were, in the early church that guided the early Christians in what they were to believe, accept and expect of faith in Jesus Christ. To begin with it was the Old Testament prophecies that referred to Jesus, and then the proclamation of the gospel by the apostles. Later the written gospels and the letters of the apostles were revered as the Scriptures of the New Testament, or Witness to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. What was written was never intended to become another Law of Moses. The witness of the apostles was not a letter written in stone but a Word of Life, a proof, a witness to the Spirit of God in their lives.

THE ORIGIN OF PROPOSITIONS

The gospels and letters of the New Testament, were never propositional. They do not set out to propose a new philosophy or contradict an old one. And the practice of theologians to view the New Testament as a collection of theories that the apostles and others interpreted or invented is nonsense. The apostles proclaimed the gospel as given to them by Jesus Christ, - in Greek called the kerygma, - and recorded the living words of Jesus, - the didache, to the early Christians. These were never propositional. They were God’s revelation for which reason Jesus taught with authority and not as the religious leaders, the Pharisees, the Scribes and doctors of the Law. Jesus was not proposing anything for debate or discussion, for analysis or examination. How misleading it is to judge the Scriptures from a philosophical point of view and to propose interpretations drawn from external sources such as ‘culture’ or ‘science’.

This is precisely what the theologian Bultman did in his theory of demythologising the bible. There is no intellectual ground for rewriting history in this way. There are many stories that are not factual in the bible and these are easy to recognise but there are real irrefutable miracles that are not fiction. The bible literature has a very different genre than Greek or Babylonian myths or theorems. The whole of Hebrew literature is a statement of faith in God’s intervention and guidance in human affairs. It is focused on God’s Word and Deeds.

HISTORICAL PARALLEL

The disputes and allegiances of the early Corinthian church has many parallels throughout history. Disputes and allegiances actually became bigger and bigger resulting in splits and antagonisms, political as well as ecclesiastical. These have not grown less but more. Not only does institutional Christianity remain as divided as ever but within these institutions are growing disputes and tensions over moral and authoritarian issues. Theologians and church leaders have become more and more propositional and theoretical in how they view moral standards and prevalent social conventions on abortion, sodomy, sexuality, marriage and political questions. There are cleavages within the ranks of the clergy as there are in the laity. Many Christians feel betrayed by their pastors and leaders.

THE BIBLE

It is time to get back to the Word of God and the One foundation, Jesus Christ. The Billy Graham era was a time of hope and renewal of spiritual values. Billy Graham says, ‘Time is running out. The seconds are ticking away towards mid-night. The human race is about to take the final plunge. {He said this in 1984.} Have we just been placed here by some unknown creator or force without any clue as to where we came from, why we are here and where we are going? Which way shall we turn? Is there any authority left? Is there a path that we can follow? Is there any light penetrating the inky darkness? Can we find a codebook that will give us the key to our dilemmas? Is there any source of authority to which we can turn? The answer to the first question is NO. The answer to all the rest is Yes. We do have a codebook. We do have a key. We have an authoritative source material. It is found in the ancient Book we call the Bible. {iv} The codes are there. The key to opening them is Jesus Christ. Billy Graham says, ‘God caused the bible to be written for the express purpose of revealing to man God’s plan of redemption...The bible easily qualifies as the only book in which is God’s revelation. There are many bibles of different religions; there is the Muslim Koran, the Buddhist Canon of Sacred Scripture. The Zoroastrian Zend-Avesta, and the Brahman Vedas. All of these have made accessible to us by reliable translations. Anyone can read them, comparing them with the bible, and judge for themselves. It is soon discovered that all these non-Christian bibles have parts of truth in them, but they are all developments ultimately in the wrong direction. They all begin with flashes if true light, and end in utter darkness. Even the most casual observer discovers that the bible is radically different. It is the only Book that offers man redemption and points the way out of his dilemmas. It is our one sure guide in an unsure world. {v}